- Prep Time: 12 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 min.
- Yield: 22–24 meatballs + 3 cups sauce
So many regions around the world have their own eponymous and/or iconic meatball recipes: Scandinavian Kjøttkaker, Italy’s beloved Polpetta, Greece has several, including Keftedes, Turkey has Kafta, Indian cuisine abounds with recipes for Kofta, American-Italian Meatballs, and so on.
European bison, which we often incorrectly identify as buffalo in North America, is lean, very flavorful, and healthy. Four ounces of bison meat typically contain 11 grams of fat (4 grams of saturated fat) and 23 grams of fairly lean protein.
The Hunters’ Sauce has many names across northern Europe. Famously, it is referred to as Wild Sauce in Norway, which is a much deeper brown than the beige-colored Swedish counterpart, Vild Sås.
Costco sells a beautiful Greek organic olive oil from Crete, as well as Better Than Bouillon’s beef and chicken bouillon pastes.
The caraway seeds add a distinctly Scandinavian aroma and flavor to the sauce, while the fresh herbs add brightness to enhance both the meatballs and sauce.
If Lingonberry jam is not available at the neighborhood grocery store and Ikea is not within convenient distance, then there are plenty of online sources for this tart-sweet condiment, which plays a small but absolutely critical role in this meal.
Bison Meatballs Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1.25 pounds of ground bison
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed, minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
- ½ tablespoon minced fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, ground
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup herbed seasoned bread crumbs + if necessary
- 2 tablespoons of cow’s milk
Mushroom Hunter’s Sauce
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 shallot, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
- 8 ounces of finely chopped mushrooms
- 4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
- 2 cups of milk
- 2 tablespoons of beef bouillon paste
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves
- 1/4 cup beef broth + to smooth
- sea salt and white pepper, to taste.
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup lingonberry jam, plus
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the bison meat, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper, parsley, chives, dill, and ground caraway seeds. Combine well with hands. Add the egg, and again, mix well.
- Add the breadcrumbs and milk. Combine well, and set aside for 5 minutes.
- Once the breadcrumbs have absorbed the milk, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, if the mixture seems too dry. Add more breadcrumbs if the mixture feels too moist.
- Meanwhile, start the Hunters’ Sauce preparation.
- Over medium heat, in a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter and sauté the shallot until soft and transparent, about 2 minutes.
- Add the garlic, and sauté for 1 more minute. Add the mushrooms, and sauté for another 1.5 minutes. Add the flour, stir well, and allow the flour to cook for 1 minute while stirring frequently.
- Very gradually, add the bourbon while stirring constantly, then the milk by teaspoon, stirring to incorporate completely between additions.
- Reduce heat to simmer and stir in the beef bouillon until dissolved, followed by the soy, thyme, sage, and beef broth. Allow to simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, fashion the bison mixture into 1.5-inch compact meatballs, rolling them between the palms of our hands until tight. Set them on a wax-lined baking sheet.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet on high, and fry the meatballs in 2 batches if necessary, allowing space between them. Rotate the meatballs to brown on all sides, about 6–10 minutes. Drain the semi-cooked meatballs. They will finish cooking in the sauce.
- Stir the sauce, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any stuck bits. Add the meatballs, stir to coat all the pieces, cover, and continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Allow it to rest for 3 minutes, covered. Taste for salt and pepper, and adjust. Stir in the sour cream until smooth. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little beef broth to achieve the desired consistency.
- Serve immediately with the lingonberry jam on the side and boiled potatoes. Egg noodles, spetzel, and mashed potatoes are considered acceptable sides, but the truly Scandinavian table requires simple, halved or quartered boiled potatoes, salted and simple.
- A hops-heavy, Czech-style pilsner or dry Reisling will complement this meal very nicely, especially given the tartness and sweetness of the lingonberry jam and the herbed, Bourbon-spiked cream sauce.
